


Look in the mirror  (day 1)

by Only_Slightly_Obsessed (A_Stressed_Cupcake)



Series: Rémy's 2020 Multifandom Whumptober Works [1]
Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, F/M, Raoul and Christine are married, Whumptober 2020, day 1- bruises, doesn't mean they're not horribly traumatized, mentions of strangulation, this gets kinda fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:34:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26933686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Stressed_Cupcake/pseuds/Only_Slightly_Obsessed
Summary: He stands before the bathroom mirror.His hand lingers on the knot of his necktie. All he needs to do is pull.____Whumptober day 1: Bruises
Relationships: Raoul de Chagny/Christine Daaé
Series: Rémy's 2020 Multifandom Whumptober Works [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1965271
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Look in the mirror  (day 1)

**Author's Note:**

> cw for mentions of strangulation.

It's Sunday and they've just returned home from church. 

They've just come back. It was so hot outside. He wants nothing more than to loosen the collar of his shirt a bit, wash his face, and rest for a bit.

He's on his way to doing that, though, right? Right?

It's easy. He's done it a million times before. So why not now?

He stands before the bathroom mirror.

His hand lingers on the knot of his necktie. All he needs to do is pull.

Somewhere in the house, Christine is humming a tune. It's beautiful. She has a way of modulating her voice, always, even when she talks, even when she hums, that makes her sound like a mermaid. Heaven knows he'd gladly jump off a ship for her.

So what's a tie? It's uncomfortable, and it's hot, and he can't wait to have it off his neck. But he doesn't want to  _ take _ it off. It's frustrating.

He grips the knot tighter. Just pull down, that's all he has to do.

He doesn't.

A growl climbs up his throat. It dies as soon as he meets his own eyes in the mirror, glassy and lost.

" _ Damn it _ ." he whispers. 

It feels like the mirror itself is pitying him.

" _ Damn it!! _ " he repeats, much louder, between his teeth. He surrenders and his hands fall to the side of the sink.

There's a creak.

"Raoul?"

He hangs his head.

"Christine."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

The look she gives him is eloquent enough.

"I mean it, Christine. It's… I can deal with it. Don't worry."

"It's your neck, isn't it?"

He flinches. Visibly. Dammit.

She smiles sadly: "I thought so."

"I can't…" he sighs, "I can't take my necktie off. That's all."

She nods a few times, deep in thought.

Then: "Do you need a mirror to do that?"

It catches him off-guard. The answer is a solid  _ no _ , but… where is she going with it?

"No…?" he answers, very quietly.

"Then here." she grabs his shoulders from behind and spins him around so he's facing the opposite wall, "Try to take it off now."

It's an odd way to go about it, certainly. But it might just work. Christine knows what she's talking about, she always knows, and he should've listened to her much earlier than he did.

"Alright." he relents, placing his hooked finger on the knot of the tie again.

He pushes down.

The tie is off. 

"Oh…" he murmurs.

Christine walks around him, smiling. She undoes the first few buttons of his shirt and her smile falters a bit, only for a moment, before returning to its normal splendour: "There!" she exclaims, "All done!"

"You are amazing." 

She blushes violently: "You're on thin ice. Speaking of which, would you like a drink? I was going to tell you that there's a girl selling lemonade outside. I could go out for a second and-"

"No." he hurries, "No, I mean yes. I'd love some. But I'll uh… I'll come with you."

"Raoul-"

"It's alright. Now that you've taught me how to take my tie off…" he laughs, awkwardly, buttoning up his shirt once more.

Christine smiles.

It's been almost six months. The bruises probably aren't there anymore. And yet, sometimes, out the corner of his eye, he can still see it.

A ring of purple around his throat and a face like Death itself.

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's doing Whumptober this year!!! :D
> 
> yeah so I found this prompt list YESTERDAY and wrote TEN drabbles-one shots in TWO days and please forgive me, I'll be better prepared next time I promise.  
> Most of the other ones so far are Les Mis and Zexal tbh but there IS the odd exception, such as this.  
> Sorry I always whump Raoul, I love him :(
> 
> -Rémy


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